People being misled over CAA; nobody’s citizenship will be snatched: Rajnath

PTI, Mar 14, 2024, 7:58 PM IST

Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, asserting that the legislation would not take away the citizenship of anyone living in India.

Addressing a rally in Assam’s Barpeta, he said the CAA will grant citizenship to religiously persecuted people who came to India till 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Singh was campaigning for BJP ally Asom Gana Parishad’s candidate Phani Bhusan Choudhury, who is contesting the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by Congress MP Abdul Khaleque.

”The people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act… I assure you that this Act will not take away the citizenship of any people. It will only grant citizenship,” the Defence Minister said.

The Centre on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who came to India before December 31, 2014.

Appealing to the people to vote for the AGP candidate, Singh asserted that the CAA is being implemented as per the BJP’s election manifesto of 2019.

Singh also spoke about the Ram Temple and said Lord Ram has moved to ”his palace” during the consecration ceremony after living in ”a hut” for a long time.

”We told it earlier that nobody can stop us from having a grand Ram temple. Now, nobody can stop the establishment of ‘Ram Rajya’ in India,” he added.

Stating that abolishing Triple Talaq was done to give justice to women, Singh charged the opposition of communalising the issue between Hindus and Muslims.

He also praised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registrations Act, 1935.

”We are blamed for Hindu-Muslim clash. But let me tell you that five Arab countries have bestowed the highest award to Modi for his contribution. This has never happened with any prime minister of India,” Singh said.

Attacking the Congress, the senior BJP leader claimed that the basic difference between the two parties is that while the ruling front worships people, the opposition prays only to ”one family”.

”The Congress does only appeasement politics. I request them to do politics of justice and humanism. Congress carried forward this policy for a long time, but we won’t allow this,” he added.

Singh said the NDA has focused on development instead of communal politics and Modi will return to power for the third term for making India a developed nation.

”Modi in a single day unveiled projects worth Rs 17,500 crore for Assam and Rs 56,000 crore from Arunachal Pradesh, making it more than Rs 73,000 crore worth of projects inaugurated or having their foundation stone laid within 24 hours. The Congress did not do so much in its entire 10 year rule prior to the NDA government,” he claimed.